Opinion: The Death of Discourse
10th graders having a discussion during an in-person week. Despite conversations becoming unhealthier throughout the world, students still have healthy conversations. (Da Ping Luo)
Conversations are not as healthy as they used to be. They’re not thought-provoking, nor can you gain a better understanding about the given topic. The only thing you can gain from unhealthy discussions is a yelling match.
A few months ago, the country witnessed one of the most uncivil presidential debates in American history. Former President Trump and President Biden yelled at each other for two hours. They did not only disrespect each other, but also the American people.
73 million people tuned in to the first debate to learn more about the candidate’s policies, not about a candidate's son’s link to Russia or telling the other candidate to “shut up.” What kind of example is that setting for the American people?
At Browning, our discussions lead to a deeper exploration of a topic, and not a disagreement that divides. We follow our curiosity when we confer with each other, and build a stronger community as a result.
We invigorate a sense of purpose as we follow where the conversation goes, allowing us to express ourselves in the most ideal way possible.
Our overarching dignity rings true when we do not just listen to our companions, but hear them and deeply consider what they are saying. Respect is the glue that holds our tight-knit community together.
We remain honest as we tell the truth about our perspective on a given topic. These core values are the guiding principles to a safe, open space, like we have at Browning. A heated discussion in history class between two boys can easily be followed up by sitting together at lunch.
When these discussions don’t happen, and these core values aren’t followed, today’s society resorts to cancel culture: a form of ostracism that is powered by the sole belief that one mistake defines a person.
Cancel culture does its job of holding people accountable for their actions, but the punishments associated with cancel culture are harsh - some extreme examples include losing a job, a relationship being terminated, or a loss of reputation.
For the foreseeable future, those on the receiving end of cancel culture have a cloud over their heads, their name stained with the contents of one error. They made a mistake that deeply offended someone or a group of people, but does that mean their life as they know it should be over?
To publicly gang up on someone is hurtful to democracy as a whole, because some hold back on expressing their opinions simply due to the fear that they or their family will be similarly attacked for it. The line that we’ve all heard as children: “Think before you speak,” seems more prevalent now than ever. Any opinion, controversial or not, should be supported with a persuasive argument, but most importantly, be given the time and attention to lay out that argument.
Our country was founded on discourse. Disagreements between our Founding Fathers and the British led to boycotts, protests, and eventually war. The early Americans that fought for our future questioned authority, and built a better nation because of it. They fought for our First Amendment rights.
One of the key components to our political system, Congress, was a compromise between Federalists and Anti-federalists. The Federalists wanted a more centralized government, and they tended to reside in the more populous states. The Anti-federalists desired more local authority, and were represented in the less populous states.
The Constitution gave them both of their requests - each state was given two senators, and each district was given a representative in the House, determined by population. The Federalists had fewer states, but more people, and for the Anti-federalists, vice versa. Strong dialogue leads to strong outcomes for both sides.
If our society as a whole can return to that strong dialogue, as we have through the grand red doors, we will construct a more perfect country as a result.